Synopsis: Find out more about June and Day in this never-before-seen glimpse into their daily lives before they met in Marie Lu’s New York Times bestselling LEGEND series. As twelve-year-olds struggling to survive in two very different worlds within the Republic’s stronghold, June was starting her first day of school at Drake University as the youngest cadet ever admitted, and Day was fighting for food on the streets of the Lake sector. LIFE BEFORE LEGEND contains two original stories written by Marie Lu that give readers a sneak peek into the lives of their favorite characters in a thrilling new context.

Review: I sometimes feel mixed on novellas because we all know a novella is an optional read. It won’t introduce you to anything overly new, but rather, it serves a purpose to sometimes share more of a backstory. I like reading them because usually it’s been a year since I read the last book in the series (based on when they released them), and so for me, it serves a purpose to help jog my memory and reintroduce me to the characters again.

Life Before Legend is two mini stories. The first of which is told from Day’s perspective. In Prodigy, June asks Day to tell her the story about his first kiss. This mini story goes into what happened on that day. And in the second mini story, told from June’s perspective we see what her first days at Drake University (as a 12 year old) were like, and why she got into as much trouble as she did.

Not earth shattering. You won’t learn anything new that will change your mind about Day or June. But I like these little stories. They share a little insight into some of their earlier memories and their younger selves which I really liked. It made me more excited to read Prodigy also!